So—“Have I told you how great your ass looks in those pants?” Max asked across the faceoff circle, batting his eyelashes.
And—“Babe, you know how I feel about your backhand” after a goal, which sent poor Jeremy into paroxysms of despair.
And—“If I could rearrange the alphabet—”
He didn’t even get to finish that one, because he was looking at Grady for a reaction and tripped himself over Grady’s stick.
But sadly, aside from a snort when Max ate shit, Grady didn’t crack again. Max skated off after his shift, determined to come up with something that would make Grady break. He’d already tried the cheesiest pickup lines he knew. Too bad he hadn’t gone withAre you an angel, because I’m falling for youwhen he did the belly flop. Grady definitely would’ve laughed at that.
There was a stoppage while Max was on the bench—somehow Florence’s helmet strap got caught in Kurt’s cage—so while they giggled their way through detaching themselves, one of the zebras skated over. Max recognized Curly as an old-timer who’d handled more than a few of Max’s games in the Q. He leaned over the boards. “So you and Armstrong, eh?”
Max smiled. “What can I say? Guy can’t resist me.”
Curly laughed. “That’s how it is?”
It was mutual, but Max figured he didn’t have to say that with his mouth; the rest of his face was probably taking care of it. He shrugged instead and hoped his body language might project innocence.
“Just keep it clean out there.” He shook his head. “There’s kids here, you know.”
Max put a hand in front of his heart. “I’ll try to tone down the flirting, but no promises.”
Curly turned his face toward the rafters. “I meant stay out of the penalty box.”
Oh. Max grinned. “No promises about that either.”
“Fair enough. Worth asking.”
Oh, sure. Hope springs eternal and all that. Curly skated off, and Max went back to contemplating the perfect phrase to get a rise out of his boyfriend.
The idea didn’t occur to him until play resumed and he got his next shift. Max forced a turnover in the defensive zone and put his summer training to the test as he sped toward Amelie.
The opposing team changed on the fly, and suddenly there Grady was again, facing him and skating backward toward his own net, eyes locked on Max. Because Grady couldn’t justnot try, even in practice for an exhibition game.
What a goober.
Max attempted a pass, but Grady intercepted and sent the puck clattering against the boards. They both chased after it, cursing each other and laughing, with only a little bit more elbow than strictly necessary.
Max got his stick on the puck first, but Grady had him trapped against the boards with nowhere to go. Well, if they were going to be here for a minute, he basically had a captive audience for his next flirtation. “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire your backcheck.”
“Please.” Grady slapped gently at the side of Max’s foot in an effort to push him off the puck. Not very sporting, but he did laugh, finally. “You arenotthe Mr. Darcy in this relationship.”
Oh God, Max thought, hit suddenly by the perfection not just of the comparison but of Grady making it, and before he could help himself he blurted, “Marry me.”
Whoops.
Grady’s stick caught the underside of Max’s skate, and he dropped it. Max, too startled himself to react in any controlled way, pushed the puck backward between his own legs. Grady cursed, and then there was a crack of equipment on ice. One of Grady’s feet hit Max’s, he stepped on one of their sticks trying to recover, and then he went down too, arms pinwheeling comically until his ass hit the ice.
This was not how Max had thought this would go down.
Somewhere very far away, Curly blew the whistle. Max wasn’t paying attention, because next to him on the ice, Grady was propped up on his hands and knees. “Seriously?” He was wide-eyed and flushed, but his body language—
So,sonot how Max planned it. “If you want me to get on my knees, you gotta let me up first.” Their legs were all tangled together.
“Hey!” Curly yelled. “You guys need a time-out or what? We talked about this.”
“Fuck you,” Grady said, but he was grinning.
Oh shit. It was happening. “Fuckyou,” Max replied. His face was 100 percent doing something he had not authorized. Tears of joy might be involved. Fortunately Max could claim he just had melting ice on his cheeks. “Are you gonna leave me on read here or what?”
